Untitled
by Jackie Onassis
Summary: Jamie Wayne was abandoned by her twin brother Bruce several years ago, left to deal with her failing life and her parent's company all on her own. But when Bruce suddenly returns, Jamie is left to deal with the repercussions of his vigilante actions.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just something I started in my spare time...**

I awoke early one normal, dreary morning to the bright sunlight when Alfred pulled back the curtains. I grabbed the pillow nearest to me and shoved it over my face in an attempt to block out the sunlight.

"Can't this wait?" I groaned, the pillow muffling my words. "I was up all last night dealing with that damn case with _Mister_ Crane, I think I deserve a couple extra hours of sleep."

"That may hold true Miss Jamie," Alfred replied, ripping the pillow off of my face. "But you've got another meeting today and a bunch of papers that need your signing."

"Ughh...what time's the meeting?" I grumbled, snatching the pillow back.

"4 o'clock."

"What time is it now?"

"3."

With an angry groan I threw the pillow to the side and sat up in bed, running a hand through my frizzy hair. I cracked half an eye open to look at Alfred, and then took the drink from his hand along with the two asprin.

"I swear, if I have to hear about how one more person needs to be taken to his crazy house, I'm going to take a gun to my head and blow my brains out." I vowed, pushing back the covers and getting down on the ground to do my daily push-ups.

"Well now that wouldn't be good Miss Jamie, because then who would run this company? They need you here."

"Yeah right, the company thinks they would do better without me in charge."

"You can't let those newspaper articles get you down. There are plenty of people who believe you've been doing a great job with Wayne Enterprises." Alfred debated as he made my bed.

"Well I'd sure like to meet some of them." I answered, getting up off the floor and starting toward the shower.

The doorbell suddenly rang, echoing throughout the entire mansion. Alfred looked up at me, as if to ask what I wanted him to do.

"Go ahead and answer." I said. "But if it's another damn reporter tell them to piss off."

"Will do, Miss."

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door tightly behind me. I stripped out of my pajamas and stepped into the hot shower, trying to scrub all of the grease out of my hair that had built up overnight. After I had finished I stepped out and pulled on the basics, bra, panties, and dress pants before I blow dried my mass of brown hair. Once it was completely dry I brushed it so it laid flat in soft curls on my back before I pulled on the dress shirt Alfred had laid out for me. I looked suitable at least for the meeting after all the makeup was put on and everything. By the time I was completely ready, it was 3:45. I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing my purse and car keys as I exited the bedroom. As I proceeded down the steps, Alfred caught up with me halfway.

"Miss Jamie, the person at the door..."

"Was it really a reporter?" I cut him off bitterly. "I wish those bastards would just leave me the-"

"It wasn't a reporter."

"Oh? Then who was it?"

Alfred seemed awfully pale, or at least paler then he usually looked. Without waiting for another explanation I made my way down the steps a bit faster. Alfred caught up with me a moment later and led the way through all the confusing corridors to one of the main rooms. The door was closed, and there was no sound coming from the other end. Alfred opened the door for me and stepped inside right after me. The man turned slowly to face me, and all I could do was stare in shock and awe at who it was. He looked fairly similar to me, except his eyes were blue where mine were green. His body build had remained the same from the last time I had seen him....which was god only knows how many years ago. I dropped my purse and my car keys on the ground and fixiated my eyes on him, a wave of emotions crashing down on top of my head. He half smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Jamie."

I took two steps toward him and was just then standing just inches away from his face. I raised my hand and smacked him as hard as I possibly could across his face, reeling back from the pain that pulsated through my hand from the blow. A giant red mark in the shape of my hand was forming on his face, but other then that he seemed completely unfazed.

"I guess I deserved that." He said with a sigh, rubbing his cheek.

"You better have a good excuse for why the hell you disappeared on me for all these years. God damn it Bruce! Do you have any idea the shit you've put me through you selfish son of a bitch?"

"Look, Jamie..."

"Miss Jamie." Alfred interrupted, pointing to his wrist. "Meeting."

"Oh shit." I cursed, running over and taking my purse and car keys from Alfred's hands.

I spun around to face Bruce again, who had not moved an inch.

"I'll deal with you when I get done with this meeting."

"Why don't I come with you?" He offered calmly, finally moving from his spot by the nightstand.

"Because I don't know what to make of how I feel right now, and I don't think anybody else will be able to either."

Bruce nodded only once before I stormed out of the room. I got into the Mercedes and pealed off down the road toward Wayne Enterprises, muttering several profanities under my breath. Where the hell had he gone, and why the hell did he suddenly come back? I didn't know if I should be pissed off that he was here, or happy that he came back. When I finally reached the building, I was about five or so minutes late. I took the elevator to the main meeting room and tried to gather myself while I walked in. All heads swung around to face me as I murmured an apology and took my seat.

"Well now that we're all here." Crane said with a glare at me. "I'm sure we can get down to busniess. This meeting is a complete waste of time."

"It is NOT a waste of time Doctor Crane." I spat his name. "You're talking about moving all of these people to your own private care center on MY company's dime. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the patients who were admitted, by you I might add, showed no symptoms of any pyschological harm whatsoever before being admitted."

"Actually Miss Wayne," Spoke up one of Crane's companions. "All of the patient's admitted by Doctor Crane were specifically examined by him before being admitted and before his idea to transfer them over to his own private care center."

"And these men have not been viewed by anybody else except Doctor Crane himself?"

"That's right." Crane replied with a malevolent smile that only I could see.

"Well then how do we know that he isn't lying?"

"Miss Wayne," Began one of the heads of my department. "Surely you're not suggesting that Doctor Crane here has something to do with the mental state of each of the patients he examines?"

"Of course not, but doesn't anybody else find it slightly odd that these patients being admitted showed no previous signs of pyschological harm before being viewed by Doctor Crane?"

"But they were showing signs of mental unstability." Crane cut in. "I wouldn't be allowed to even examine people who weren't showing some signs of mental distruption."

"But why do they all need to be moved to your own private care center, and on MY company's dime?"

"The Wayne Enterprise has the most annual income in the entire city and would be able to afford to send these people to my care center, where I can give them all of the private care and health benefits they need to regain their mental capacity." Crane replied with anger tracing his voice. "If you haven't noticed, Miss Wayne, they are all claimed to be the city's trash, but they are still people. People who need my help."

I could tell the other people at the table were just eating up Crane's logic, and I was the only one who could see through his bullshit lying. He was up to something, and I sure as hell wasn't going to risk the safety of my parent's company be used for whatever vulgar idea that was crossing through his mind.

"No." I answered adminteldy. "You can't have our funding."

There was a roar of outrage from everyone around the table, and Crane simply smiled at me. It sent chills down my spine. I refocused on trying to settle everybody down.

"Until I've seen this private mental hospital myself and had a full examination of what will be taking place process wise, you cannot have my company's funding. Since I own Wayne Enterprises, I guess you'll just have to impress me, won't you Doctor Crane?"

"Of course." He replied with that same, evil smile. "Just name the date and we'll schedule a ferry to come and take you over."

"Three days from today, this coming Monday."

I packed up all of my papers and shoved them into a folder, glaring over at Crane.

"That is all."

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When I made it back home, Bruce was sitting in one of the lounge chairs, as though he were expecting me to come home any second. Alfred was busy in the kitchen, so it was just the two of us left alone.

"How'd the meeting go?" He asked, creating light banter.

"Fine. I'm going to see Doctor Johnathan Crane's private care center this Monday."

Bruce nodded and rose from his chair, putting his hands in his pockets again. He looked at the ground as though he was completely fascinated with his shoes.

"Why did you come back Bruce?" I demanded. "First off, why the hell did you leave?"

"I had to leave. I just couldn't take it anymore, and I needed to find myself."

"'Find yourself'?" I retorted. "That sounds like a bad joke. Don't lie to me Bruce. I think I deserve a lot more then that."

"It's the honest truth." He argued. "And I came back because I knew that this company needed me, and that you needed me."

"I didn't need you!" I snapped. "I don't need you! I've handled the company well enough on my own before you showed up. I can't believe you!"

"Jamie...please." He was begging, pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a few steps forward. "I'm trying to set things right again."

"You can set things right again by pissing off!" I yelled.

Quickly with my sleeve, I wiped away the hot tear that had managed to squeeze out of my eye and roll down my cheek. I had hoped Bruce wouldn't notice it, but he did. He took another step forward but I was way past logic now.

"Stop it!" I shouted, backing up. "Stay the hell away from me!"

He suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around me and without warning I buried my head in his shirt, hot tears pooling out of my eyes while I cursed at him for making me into a wreck like this.

"I'm really sorry Jamie," He said quietly, putting his hand on top of my head. "I know it was a really bad time to leave, and I'm sorry for dropping all this on top of you all at once."

I murmured another curse into his shirt while my hands locked around his back. When he finally drew me to the side, I wiped my eyes with my sleeves again, ending up with mascara all over them.

"You should probably go see Rachel and let her know that you're back." I said without looking at him.

"I will, tomorrow maybe. But today, I just want to catch up with you. And take care of a few other things."

We spent the rest of the day/evening in the kitchen, discussing what had been going on while we weren't together.

**A/N: That's it for now I guess. Review or don't, doesn't make much of a difference to me.**

**-Jackie-**


	2. Flashback 1

**A/N: I guess I'll continue then. Really didn't have many plans for this.**

**Every other chapter is going to be a ****flashback****, so you can get to know why Jamie is the way she is. Just so you know, this is a flashback chapter.**

"Miss Jamie!"

I brushed Alfred's hands away as he tried to shake me from my sleep.

"Miss Jamie please get up!"

I finally sat up, startled to see him hovering so close to my face. I had fallen off of the couch at some point during the night, and someone, assumingly Bruce, had laid a blanket on top of me. The papers were scattered all over the floor, and my laptop battery had died. I pushed the blanket off of me and looked around the room, expecting Bruce to be asleep somewhere nearby. But then I looked back up at Alfred's face, confused.

"Where's Bruce?" I yawned, streching as I got up off the floor.

With shaking hands Alfred handed me a folded piece of paper, then began to pick all the papers up off the floor. I unfolded the paper and scanned the two words written in Bruce's handwriting.

_I'm sorry_

I dropped the note on the ground and ran up the stairs near the kitchen, yelling Bruce's name. When he didn't answer I kicked open his bedroom door, and found everything still in place. He hadn't taken anything.

"Alfred!" I yelled as I ran down the stairs. "Where the hell is he?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Miss. I got up this morning and found the note sitting on the kitchen table. His car is still in the garage."

I ran into the kitchen and picked up the telephone mounted on the wall, dialing his cell phone number. It rang not a few feet away from the sink and I slammed the phone back into the reciever.

"He just left? Why the fuck did he leave? Where did he go?"

"I...I don't know Miss Jamie. I called in work for you and told them you'd be late-"

"Oh shit!"

I ran up the stairs two at a time and quickly rushed through my morning rountine. Maybe he had gone to the office? Impossible, he would've taken his car...or at least his cell phone. God damn it! Where the hell could he be? By the time I came back downstairs, Alfred had cleaned up all the papers and had put them inside my briefcase and was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Call up the police." I ordered Alfred. "I'm going to get everyone in the office to start up a search party. One of the department heads has a connection to the Lieutenant."

I jumped in my car and sped off toward Wayne Enterprises, feeling hot tears build up in my eyes. That son of a bitch! That god damn son of a bitch! Where the hell had he gone? Why had he just left me here alone? After everything I had just been through, he decides to leave NOW? Selfish son of a bitch! By the time I reached the office, I had recieved a text message from Alfred informing me that he had notified the police. I ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator and entered into the meeting room. The men began to file into their seats when I tossed my brief case on the table.

"I'm afraid this meeting will have to wait. My brother has gone missing."

A murmur of confusion spread throughout the room, and Mr. Gale, the head of the financial department, stood up from his seat.

"What do you mean he's gone missing?"

"I mean he's vanished, and I don't know where he's gone. He left his cell phone, car keys, wallet, everything at the house. I need to start up a search party. The police have been notified, but I need more then that. I want every detective and F.B.I. agent searching this town for him."

But the men remained in their seats, as though they were waiting for further instructions.

"I meant now."

The room jumped to life with loud conversation as the men made phone calls and began to bustle out of the room. Mr. Gale approached me and handed me his cell phone.

"This is Lieutenant Gordon, he wishes to speak with you."

I took the phone from him and pressed the reciever to my ear.

"Lieutenant?"

"Ms. Wayne, I need you to come down to the station and give me a full description of your brother and to sign off on a missing persons report."

I wrote down the address he gave me on the back of my hand before I gave the phone back to Mr. Gale.

"I'll be back soon. Meanwhile, get the word out to everyone. I want my brother found."

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After filing the report with Lieutenant Gordon, I went back home and waited. He said the best thing I could do was to wait for someone to call with information on Bruce's whereabouts. So I paced the house impatiently, jumping every time something went off, such as the oven timer or the old grandfather clock in the hallway. Finally, the doorbell rang around two o'clock in the morning. Alfred opened the door and let Lieutenant Gordon into the house. I greeted him with a quiet hello and brought him into the kitchen while Alfred poured him a cup of coffee.

"I'm afraid, Ms. Wayne," Gordon began.

"Jamie. Please."

"Jamie..." He continued. "We have absolutely no leads on where your brother could possibly be. We will continue searching for as long as possible, but in cases like these, it's fairly unlikely that we will locate your brother."

I put my head in my hand and felt the tears rolling to my cheeks. Gordon patted my hand comfortingly.

"Maybe he just needed some time away. He'll be back. Thank you for the coffee."

Gordon started off for the door, then paused in the kitchen doorway.

"I'll call you if I hear anything."

"Thank you." I replied without looking up.

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After a long weekend, I finally went back into the office to deal with a business settlement. Now that Bruce was gone, who was best suited to run the company? I had, obviously, been of the first consideration. But, as William Earle had so _kindly_ brought up, I was emotionally unstable to be running such an important business. When I walked into the meeting room, everyone's conversations had ceased, and we all settled into our seats. Earle was sitting directly across from me, staring blankly.

"Well," I said, clearing my sore throat. "You've all heard the arguments, I see no need to repeat them. So the best thing to do now is put this to a vote. All those in favor of putting Mr. Earle in charge of my parent's company raise your hand."

Five hands for Earle.

"And all those in favor of putting me in charge."

Five hands for me.

"Well then it's a tie." Mr. Earle spoke up. "Shall we flip a coin for it, or play rock, paper, scissors?"

Sarcastic ass. If he wasn't so valuable I'd fire him. The doors behind us suddenly opened, and the head of the research department, Lucius Fox, entered the room.

"Sorry for being so late Miss Wayne." He apologized as he took his seat. "My son wasn't feeling well this morning."

"That's all right. We were just voting on who will be running Wayne enterprises. Shall we go again?"

"What's the count?" Lucius asked.

"Five for me, and five for Earle."

"Well then you can cast my vote for you, Ms. Wayne."

The people in the room clapped their hands, but Earle leapt from his seat.

"Now hang on a second. You don't get a say in this Lucius."

"Oh?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"You're biast."

"I am not biast, I simply believe that Ms. Wayne here has every right to have the majority say in how her parent's company will be run. Everything considered, she has been a great beneficiary for the company, and I believe she has the ability to run this company."

I turned back to look at Earle and shrugged my shoulders.

"I suppose that's it then. Meeting adjourned."

As the room emptied, I walked over to where Lucius was still sitting and took the seat next to him.

"You didn't have to vote for me just because you were good friends with my father."

"I didn't, Miss Wayne. I truly believe that you have every potential to run this company well. I wouldn't let what they say get to you."

I continued to sit as Lucius made his way out of the room.

"I'm very sorry about Bruce."

I looked up at him and nodded, folding my hands together.

"Yeah...me too."

**A/N: Alright that's it for now. Next chapter we'll jump back into reality.**


	3. Chapter 2

When I awoke the next morning, I half expected to be alone with Alfred once again, that Bruce's returning had all been some kind of hopeful dream. But when I crept down the hallway and to his bedroom, I could hear his loud snoring from behind his closed door. I pushed it open gently and smiled as I noticed how his left arm was off the bed, and the other was thrown across his face. I was still pissed at him for leaving, no doubt, but I was also aware that I would soon be able to forgive him. How soon I was not sure, but soon. After all, he did come back. He had spent the night informing me of how he trained with this League, and how he felt he needed to help rid Gotham of it's criminal rule. He explained how he planned on becoming some kind of vigilante for the city, and how he would rid it of evil. I had been too tired to argue him of this point, and had instead retired to bed without giving it much thought. But now that I was rested, I couldn't help but wonder how he planned on saving this city. I didn't feel it was really worth saving. With scum out there like Crane and Falcone, this city had already gone to hell.

I finally made my way down the stairs and smelled bacon as I walked into the kitchen. Alfred had made breakfast and had begun setting things down on a tray when I interrupted him.

"I'm already up Alfred."

"I know that Miss Jamie." Alfred smiled as he turned around. "This tray is for Master Bruce. Lord knows when he'll get up."

I found my plate on the kitchen table and dug into Alfred's cooking, taking the newspaper off of the counter. Nowadays, it mostly consisted of just crime, crime, and more crime. It wasn't just the crime that had me worried though. It was how psychotic some of the criminals had become, and the fear of what they could possibly do next. Bruce finally came downstairs as I was washing off my plate, squinting as the sunlight hit his eyes.

"Good morning sunshine!" I beamed sarcastically.

Bruce mumbled something that I could only assume was a "good morning" and sat down at the kitchen table, the plate that Alfred had brought up in his hand.

"So what's on your agenda for today?" I asked after wiping my hands clean with a dry towel.

"I figured I'd go see Rachel," He said between bites of food. "Then head into the company and let them know that I'm alive."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'm sure Rachel will be very happy to see you again. The company likewise."

"Why? They weren't satisfied with you?"

I shook my head.

"They didn't think I was doing a very good job running the company. There are a lot of articles about it. I'd show you them, but I threw most of them away. I get frustrated, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Anyways what's your plan for today?"

"I don't know. I was hoping to spend some time with you, catch up on a few more things, and go over this whole superhero idea you're going for."

"You could always come with me." He offered.

"That's alright. We can talk when you get back. I need to go visit someone today anyways."

Bruce nodded and then turned his gaze to the window. I went upstairs and plowed through my morning rountine, passing Bruce on the stairs as I headed toward the garage after I was all cleaned up.

"I'll see you tonight then. Try and make it home by eight-ish, I'll bring back a pizza."

"Sounds great. See you tonight."

I ran out into the garage and hopped into my car, pulling out of the long driveway and out onto the road. I finally realized what a relief it was to have Bruce home, and how nice it was to forget all of the past and focus on the happiness of the present. I strayed away from criminal area Gotham and stopped in front of a building that was squeezed between two houses. It was small, but it had four stories, three of which were built through my own contribution. The red bricking was complimented by the bright and colorful flowers that lined the white walkway to the building, which was now covered with children's chalk drawings. I knocked on the front door and waited for someone to answer. Inside I could hear children's screams and footsteps as they rampaged through the orphanage. One of the attendants I had hired, Suzane, answered the door, looking slightly frazzled.

"Good morning Miss Wayne!" She greeted me in her usual friendly voice. "Please, come in!"

I stepped around her and moved to the side as three small children came running through the hallway and into the kitchen. One of the littler ones, Tyler, tripped over his own two feet and landed flat on his face at my feet. I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and pulled him up into my arms. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and cried.

"Aww, what's the matter Ty?" I rubbed his back as I walked into the kitchen.

"David stoled my toy!" Tyler pointed in the direction of the running children.

"Is that so? Well, what if I told you that I could make David give it back?"

Tyler stopped crying and looked up at my face.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You go find David and tell him Miss Jamie says to give it back right now, or now chocolate cake later today."

Tyler wriggled out of my arms and took off down the hallway, yelling David's name.

"Chocolate...cake Miss Wayne?" Suzanne asked in a very tired voice.

"I'll make sure I come back before bed time. I'm just checking inventory for now."

I pulled out a notepad and pen from my purse and walked through the kitchen with Suzane, writing down whatever she said they needed more of in reference to what each child liked and things that they needed. The nursery attendant, Willa, came down to inform me they were low on diapers and baby wipes. In total, there were twenty-two homeless children and infants in this orphanage, and the numbers were rising each day. The top two floors were dedicated to just bedrooms, but it was hard to find attendants and nannies nowadays, even with the pay I offered. Fewer people were living in Gotham.

"Alright, that should be everything. I'll go pick up the groceries and I'll be back then."

"Thank you Miss Wayne." Suzanne said as she let me out the front door.

I made my way down the steps and waited at the crosswalk to go across the street to the grocery store. I picked up all the items that were listed, plus a few extra things for the kids, candy, a few new toys that were hanging on the shelves, and once that was all piled into the grocery cart, I steered it back across the street and dropped it all off to Suzanne. After that I brought the cart back to the grocery store (they knew the routine) and headed back to my car. Once inside I started up the engine and started off down the road, planning on going to see Lieutenant Gordon about Bruce's return. But as I turned through some of the more slum-ish areas of Gotham, I noticed something off.

People were walking across the street in front of my car, stopping in front of it to peer inside. I tried to continue along, but they were soon surrounding the car. I locked the doors slowly and then reached for the cell phone that was laying in the passenger seat. I dialed in Bruce's cell phone number just as one man jumped on the car and began to beat in the window with a golf club. I pulled off my seat belt and grabbed the cell phone, jumping into the backseat and wrenching open the door after disengaging the lock. I took off in a run and could hear the footsteps of the men as they ran after me. Bruce didn't pick up. I hung up and pressed the speed dial button for Gordon's cell.

Suddenly one of the men leapt at me and caught me around my legs, knocking me down to the ground. The cell phone went flying out of reach and I began to scream as I kicked at the man who had his hands wrapped around my waist. The others suddenly swarmed on me, pinning down my arms and legs while someone else approached. He was wearing a terrifying mask, and I felt my heart jump up into my throat.

"Get her in the car!" The masked man ordered, his voice deep and cracking.

I continued to scream as I was lifted up off the ground, praying that someone would hear me and come to help. But I was thrown into the car without any effort and the masked man entered in as well, climbing on top of me in the backseat. He suddenly pulled out a canister and sprayed me directly in the face with it. Everything around me suddenly became black, and all I could make out was the red eyes of the masked man on top of me. Sheer terror crept through my limbs as his face was the only thing I could see, and all I could do was scream. All the happiness that I had been relieved with over day had suddenly evaporated, and I was left with only terror beyond imagination. The face resembled that of a scarecrow, but the longer it haunted my vision, the quicker I realized it wasn't a scarecrow's face. It was the face of a psycho.

His red eyes flashed above mine, and I could see the blood running across his sweaty face as he touched it with his bloody hands. I could see the knife as he exchanged it between his hands and waved it in front of my face. My screams were drowned out by the sound of his heavy breathing, soon followed by his laughter. I felt like I couldn't breathe, and every breath was a desperate gasp to fill my lungs. I could feel the cold blade as he ran the dull end against the skin of my throat, and felt the hot tears rolling down my face. The car had disappeared, everything had vanished except for the psycho. I was all alone in a dark room with him, and the walls were dripping with blood. I was stuck in a corner with this psycho pressed up against me, squeezing the air from my lungs and running the knife along my neck.

I was trapped all alone with my biggest fear.

**A/N: Sorry if things might not be in direct order, but I'm trying.**

**-Jackie-**


	4. Flashback 2

**A/N: I had a hard time thinking of stuff, plus I've been busy at my new job. My apologies. I'll post two tonight. Remember, this is a ****flashback**** chapter.**

I had recalled an instance when my parents were still alive, when they told me that I was never to walk around Gotham alone. Granted, I was incredibly young then compared to now. Since Bruce had abandoned me only a few short days ago, I had taken the weekend off from work in order to try and clear my mind. Yet every second, no matter what I did, my mind flickered over to what he was doing and how he was. It drove me toward the edge of madness. So much so that I found myself wandering around the crime infested areas of Gotham, and when I finally stopped to look around, I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was. Worried, I searched my pockets for my cell phone. I must've left it at the movie theater. Shit. I turned on my heel and started to head back north, hoping to make it somewhere safer where I could use a payphone. But suddenly I was stopped in the street by a man, holding out a deck of cards in front of my face. I couldn't make out his face, and he was wearing oddly patterned clothing that didn't seem to match. I tried to walk around him but he leapt in the direction of my path every time.

"Pick a card."

"Please let me by." I said calmly, trying to find a way around him.

"Just pick a card!" He shouted, his voice getting more fierce.

I slowly raised my right hand and drew a card from the deck, and looked at it. It was one of the two Joker cards that were in every deck. I stared at it a moment and slid it cautiously back into the deck he held out. He shuffled the deck several times, during which I looked around to make sure no one else was around. Oddly enough, not a single person was around, it was just me and that man alone in the abandoned dark street. Finally the man stopped and showed the entire deck to me, spaced out in his hands and the supposed "numbered" side facing me. But there were no numbered cards. Every card was a joker card, and the man began to laugh.

"Were any one of THOSE your card?!"

I had enough. I took off in a run in the opposite direction, but I could still hear his chilling laughter ringing in my ears.

"COME BACK!" He shouted, and I heard footsteps echoing as they rapidly approached me. "DON'T YOU WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?!"

I ran until I reached a set of houses that seemed remotely familar, and banged on a front door. When the woman turned to let me in, I finally dared to take a peak behind me.

But there was absolutely no one there.

**A/N: I know this chapter was short, but I'm posting the next one in just a moment, and there really wasn't too much to it. Just a little insight into why psychopaths are a terror of Jamie's.**

**-Jackie-**


	5. Chapter 3

The psychopath was always there, and no matter how long time seemed to pass, it appeared as though all he was going to do was run his knife along my neck, and press his hard body up against me so I could barely breathe. Occasionally he would nick parts of my shoulders or arms, depending on where he dragged the knife. Every inch of my body screamed for me to fight back, but the terror that seized my mind held me in place. I had no idea how long I was there with the maniac, but suddenly in all that darkness there was a bright burst of light, but with it did not come relief. Instead the red eyes of the Scarecrow had returned. He pushed the maniac aside and grabbed hold of my shoulders, sinking his nails deep within my sore arms.

"The bat is looking! The bat will surely find you! You must be disposed of!"

I felt a sharp prick on my neck, and in that instant I felt all of my limbs go numb. My arms would not move, and I would've hit the ground had the Scarecrow not had a strong hold on my arms. Soon I was being dragged through many dark hallways, people's voices ringing in my ears, but nothing that made any sense. The maniac was still lurking, he followed close behind the Scarecrow, his face still hidden from my view. The only thing I could feel was my heart thundering in my chest, but all other senses seemed dulled. I didn't know if I was concious, or if I was in some sort of alerted state of mind. Whatever it was, swirls of colors and bombardment of sounds didn't help my situation. Soon the images in front of my eyes seemed to move faster, but the noises had almost diminished. The Scarecrow was beside me now, running his bloody hands through my hair and yanking out any strand that got caught between his fingers, or had dried with the blood. As some of my senses returned, I felt my pants slowly being slid off my legs.

My voice would not work, but all I could feel was the hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I was about to be raped once again. Again? Why did I say again? Had this happened before? It sure felt like it had. Yet my brain did not work, and suddenly, my pants were back on. Nothing had happened, but the colors had stopped swirling together. The Scarecrow's eyes came back into view, and I felt myself being moved once again. Finally some of my senses slowly came back, and I realized that I was outside...somewhere, and that I was being placed in the driver's seat of a vehicle. My arms and legs would still not respond to my brain's commands, so I slumped over the steering wheel while I felt a seat belt going around me.

"The poison will eventually kill her, couldn't we have just kept her till then?" The maniac asked.

"The bat would find her by then. This way, all the evidence is rid of. It'll look just like an accident." The Scarecrow replied.

I heard the car door slam and felt the forward motion as the car began to roll. It picked up speed as I heard it whoosh down the road. Other cars were honking as the car I was in picked up speed. Then, it hit the guardrail so hard that the front end of the car flipped over the concrete wall and hit the lake with a tremendous crash. The icy cold water struck me so hard that I suddenly became incredibly alert of what was going on. The car slowly sank, and my hair and back became drenched with the freezing water that frozen my bones. Still, my arms and legs would barely move, and the frigid water didn't help. I slowly managed to move my fingers over to the seat belt buckle and pressed down on it, but by then the car was already completely submerged. The inside was filling fast, and I only managed to turn over by twisting against the water that was already inside.

I tried to breathe, but within moments of settling on the bottom, the car was already full. The cold seemed to be enough to help shock my mind awake...for how long I wouldn't know. I pulled up the lock on the car and tried the door, but it refused to budge. This was going to be it for me. The last moments of my life trapped within a car, dying in one of the most painful way possibles. My chest was tight, and I had to press my lips together hard to prevent any water for slipping in between them. Shit...god damn it this was NOT the way to go! Even with that thought crawling around in my mind, I was unable to force myself to try any harder to escape.

If only I had a chance to say goodbye...he would never see me again...

I felt myself losing consciousness as water slipped between my lips and running up through my nose so violently that I choked. There was no stopping it now...the pain would only last for a few moments...and sure enough...soon everything was gone. All my pain, all my worries, all my fear...vanished within a giant collapse of darkness. My world was done.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Death seemed oddly familiar, even though I had much rather expected it to be frightening and unfamiliar. Yet I was comforted. Instead of cold, I found myself enveloped in warmth, and soft voices surrounded me unlike the ones I had become accustomed to. And it was then I realized that it wasn't death that had taken me...I had been spared. At this realization I felt the pain slowly return. Every inch of my body ached in pain so intense I almost wished I was back to be "dead". There was no returning back to that though. When I finally risked to open my eyes, a blinding light shot into my eyes, temporarily taking away my vision.

But my eyes soon adjusted, and the comfort and warmth I had experienced was all a part of the hospital bed I was lying in. The walls were painted a light green color, but almost everything else was white. Bandages covered several sections of my arms and legs, and there was an IV tube that was connected to my arm. I rolled my head to the left, but there was no one around. I was alone...and while that was a great relief, it brought with it great terror. I hadn't been alone in so long. How long had it been? And more importantly, how did I wind up here? The door to the room suddenly opened, a nurse walked in with her face buried in a chart. She looked up, and then gasped.

"Oh thank God! You're awake!" She exclaimed.

She opened the door again and yelled for a doctor before shutting it again.

"We weren't sure you were going to make it! Your brother has been worried sick about you! He's been here since the moment he learned that Batman dropped you off."

I looked at her puzzlingly.

"Who-?" My voice broke.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Batman. Well, he's a man dressed in a Bat costume that's been going around protecting people of the city. It's been right up there in the news ever since your rescue and your brother's reappearance. For the first time the news hasn't been flooded with crime."

The doctor entered the room, and he smiled politely at me.

"Well look who's awake!"

That was annoying. The doctor walked around and a chart at the foot of my bed, and I attempted to sit upright and pull the breathing tubes out of my nose.

"I wouldn't take those out just yet. And I also would lay back down. You're quite beat up, and we don't know if your lungs are ready to be breathing on their own yet."

"Where's...my brother?" I demanded, pushing against the strain in my throat.

"He left to go get something to drink. He has been in and out periodically at our request. You've been in a coma for a week."

"A week?" My voice rose, but still cracked.

"Yes, right after you were driving. Don't you remember? We were hoping you could fill in the blanks."

I looked at him, confused, but I could not find the words to explain what I had been through. They would think I was crazy. If I could only talk to Bruce...he would make more sense of it.

"I don't remember." I replied firmly. "I can only recall the car hitting the water...and then I was drowning...and then, nothing."

"Batman saved you!" The nurse said excitedly.

The doctor looked at her scoldingly, and the smile vanished from her face. She cleared her throat and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. The doctor turned back to face me.

"That's essentially what happened." He sighed. "Anyways, I'd like to keep you here for a few more days for examination, and then after that you can go home. But even then I'd like to see you once a week, just to make sure everything is healing the way it's supposed to."

"Healing?"

"Two broken ribs, some muscle tissue torn off your right leg, possible concussion, and several broken fingers. You're a bit of a mess."

I half-smiled in return. The door opened once more, and that was when Bruce finally walked in. He looked more exhausted then I had ever seen him in my life, dark rings under his eyes, and he just looked altogether terrible. But at seeing me awake a smile broke across his face and he pulled up a chair right beside my bed and took my hand. The doctor rose, taking my chart with him.

"I'll send a nurse in to check on you later. If you need me, my name is Doctor Colvin."

"Thank you." I replied.

The doctor left the room, and I was finally able to relax. I turned to look at Bruce and forced a smile.

"How are you feeling?" He asked immediately.

"I've had better days." I admitted.

"Can you tell me anything that you remember? Anything at all?"

"I don't know, not really. I had just left the orphanage...and then I was jumped...there was a scarecrow...a maniac...oh it was terrible Bruce. There was this psychopath there, but I couldn't see his face. He had me cornered with his knife, he stabbed me right-"

I stopped mid-sentence. I had reached to show Bruce the stab wound on my shoulder, but there was nothing there but a few small bruises. I looked back up at Bruce.

"I swear I felt him...it was right here...maybe the Scarecrow did something to it."

"A scarecrow?"

"Well yeah, sort of, he was wearing this mask I guess...or something. I don't know."

I pressed the heel of my hand to my head.

"I really don't know. And then they put me in the car...and they pushed it down a hill. And then Batman I guess pulled me out of the water. I don't know. I lost consciousness."

Bruce leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. Then, he rolled up his pant leg and reveleaed a set of deep scratches in his leg, or what looked like sharp cuts. I looked at him questioningly.

"I put my foot through the windshield." He said.

Confused, I looked to him for further explanation. But as I waited for him to answer, I pieced it together in my own mind.

"You're Batman?" I said quietly.

Bruce nodded.

"I was attacked by the Scarecrow too. It's a long story...I can show you what I mean when we get back home. But you have to keep this between us, Jamie."

"Who else would I tell?" I replied, laying back against the pillows as I let these ideas absorb me. "Bruce? Did you go to the orphanage at all?"

"No, why?"

"Dammit." I cursed, looking around for a phone.

Bruce produced his cell phone and handed it to me, and I dialed the number I had memorized. After only two rings Suzane picked up.

"Gotham City Orphanage, this is Suzane."

"It's Jamie Wayne."

"Miss Wayne!" Suzane exclaimed. "You're awake! Are you alright? The children have been worried sick!"

"I'm getting there. Listen Suzane, order pizzas for today and take whatever cash is in the emergency jar and go stock up tonight. I'm not going to make it in for at least another week."

"Yes, Miss Wayne. I will. Take care."

I hung up and handed the phone back to Bruce.

"I'm sure they would've gotten food eventually, that really wasn't necessary."

"It was. I need to make sure those children are well taken care of."

"I understand, but-"

"No buts Bruce, those children are important to me."

"Why?" He finally asked. "Why are they more important than you're own well being?"

I felt hot tears building up in my eyes and I looked away from Bruce. I was ashamed to say it.

"Because...because one of those children is my son."

**A/N: Alright, I'm done for now. I'll try and update again later.**

**-Jackie-**


	6. Flashback 3

**A/N: Sorry. Flashback chapter.**

They said that the baby would be due any day now, and I was having a hard time dealing with that idea. I didn't feel I was ready to be a mother, hell ever since Bruce left I had barely been taking care of myself. Alfred and Rachel helped some, but that wasn't much. Lieutenent Gordon had been on the case for months, but there were absolutely no leads on who could possibly be the father of my child. The entire incident was hazy to me, I wouldn't have ever even recalled it happening had I not woken on up in the hospital. I made my way down the stairs, holding tightly onto the guardrail and taking one step at a time.

"Shall I get started on lunch?" Alfred asked jokingly.

"I'll be down in a minute, shut up." I replied.

But I suddenly froze on the second to last step, feeling a violent wave of pain shoot across my legs and up to my stomach. I gasped heavily, my entire body shaking.

"Alfred!" I shouted. "Alfred call an ambulance!"

It didn't take him long to snap to it and help me into a chair. I sat, gasping and panting as the violent pains continued to get closer and closer in time length. Contractions. I tried to count them, but I was unable to get past the pain. By the time the ambulance arrived, I could swear that they were no more than five seconds apart, even though that was not the case. They helped me into the back of the ambulance, where a woman asked how far apart the contractions were.

"I don't know!" I shouted angrily.

Alfred promised to take the other car and meet me at the hospital, leaving me alone with just the paramedics. I felt so suddenly alone, even though I was surrounded by people who knew exactly what they were doing. I wanted Bruce here now more than ever. By the time we reached the hospital, one of the paramedics claimed that my contractions were only five minutes apart. I had to be rushed into a room immediately where a doctor soon entered. The pain was so severe that I was actually drenched in sweat, but there was apparently "no time" to give me an epidural. I don't like to recollect the kind of pain I was in, but it felt like it dragged on for hours before the doctor finally told me to start pushing. After experiencing a pain like someone was ripping my organs out, I heard a piercing wail, and then felt relief spread across my body.

I laid my head back against the bed, and only looked up when the doctor announced that it was a boy. I finally spared a glance as they wrapped the baby boy in clean blankets, and felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks. The nurse placed the baby in my arms, and I peered happily into the newborns bright, curious eyes. He looked up at me, and I could've sworn I caught a smile spreading across his precious face. He was mine...all mine. But at the same time, I felt the burdening of a mother. I couldn't take care of a baby. I could barely take care of myself. I was in no right state of mind to take care of a newborn. It would require 100% of my attention, when most of that was devoted to keeping the company alive.

When Alfred alive, I talked to him about the idea of establishing an orphange, hiring staff and getting someone to take care of my child.

"There already is one Miss Jamie." Alfred said, cradling the baby in his arms. "It's a rundown old place, can't hold many kids. Maybe we can do something to help it?"

I nodded in agreement, running a hand through my hair.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He asked.

"I'm sure Alfred."

"I could always help..."

"This child deserves a great life...and that's something I can't give to him right now. If I'm going to have children, I'm going to raise them. I can't do that with this one, not right now."

A nurse entered the room with a clipboard, scanning it carefully.

"Have you made a decision?"

"I'm going to give him to the orphanage." I replied quietly.

"Going to give him a name?"

I shook my head.

"The staff at the orphanage can pick one out for him."

The nurse nodded and set the clipboard down in a compartment at the foot of my bed. She took the baby from Alfred's arms and handed me an envelope.

"This was taped to the front of the door. I don't know who it's from."

I watched as the baby's face lingered for just a moment before he disappeared from my view for good. I felt tears building up in my eyes once again, but I brushed them away once Alfred asked;

"Who's it from?"

I slowly opened the envelope and looked inside, but there was no note.

Out fell a single playing card with writing on the back.

"'I'll be back for my child.'" I read aloud.

I turned the card over in my fingers and saw that it was just a single Joker card.

**A/N: That's it for now. Make your own assumptions.**

**-Jackie-**


	7. Chapter 4

It was quite awhile before Bruce finally willingly brought me home. The doctor had instructed that I was not to be moving around a lot, so I was given a wheelchair that I was expected to use at all times until my bones had completely healed. I resented this as much as I resented Bruce's Batman identity. He showed me the bat cave when we got home, showed me what he was up to, and told me about his plans to help rid Gotham City of it's criminals. And the more he told me, the angrier I became at the very thought of it.

"And have you considered," I said during one point in the conversation. "That if something should go wrong that you will die, and you'll leave me here on my own again?"

But any time I brought it up, a hard expression passed over his face and he would walk off with his hands behind his head. I felt no remorse for what I had said, and if he was going to continue this Batman idea, then he was going to feel the pain of what he had done to me. He already explained to me what had gone down with Rachel, and how she had also been posioned by Crane.

"This is why I have to stop it." Bruce said firmly after another argument. "If I don't, criminals like this are going to continue poisoining this city until every civilian is dead."

"But is has to be you Bruce, doesn't it?" I demanded angrily. "It just has to be you!"

"God damn it Jamie!" He pounded his fist on the table. "You aren't making this any easier!"

I pushed my wheelchair back against the wall and got to my feet, grabbing the counter for support. I slowly began to make my way out of the kitchen, keeping my back turned to Bruce.

"Come off it!" Bruce yelled from across the room. "Stop being stupid and get back in the wheelchair!"

"Do you have ANY idea as to what you put me through Bruce? Any?" I demanded, gripping the sides of the counter as though to tear it off.

"How can I not? You remind me every god damn day!"

"Then why the hell are you still intent on doing this?!"

Bruce picked up the plate he was using and threw it across the room. It whirled past me and smashed against the opposite wall, the pieces falling all over the floor that Alfred had recently cleaned. It was in that moment that Alfred came up from the bat cave and looked from me, to Bruce, to the smashed plate on the floor.

"Crane knows you're not dead." Bruce said, now quiet. "If I don't stop him soon, he will kill you, for good this time."

Hot tears flooded my face, but I brushed them away with the side of my hand. I opened my mouth to reply, then closed it again and looked away. I guided myself out of the kitchen and into the garage. My bones were feeling a lot better, so I tried carefully walking toward the garage door without support. It hurt some, but the pain was not unbearable. I slammed the door shut and got into the first car I could. After ramming the keys into the ignition, I slammed on the accelerator and was out onto the street in a matter of seconds. I could still feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I drove in random directions, making any twists and turns that first appeared. It wasn't long before I pulled up beside Gotham City Cemetary and parked directly outside. I thought about what Bruce had said, about Crane knowing I wasn't dead.

Yet right now I didn't care. I stopped the car, leaning my head back agains the headrest. I exhaled heavily and tried not to let the tears overwhelm me. I got out of the car and started toward the cemetary gates, even though they were closed for the night. I pushed against the right one and carefully made my way into the cemetary, walking along the path until I found my parent's graves. It had been awhile since I had visited. The flowers I had last left had long since wilted, and now cluttered around the graves. I cautiously got down to my knees and brushed away the dead petals and sat back, reading over the inscriptions on the tombstones.

"I don't know what to do," I said quietly to the two graves. "I know he's trying to do something good, but how can I support something that would lead to his death? God...I promised myself I would look after him. Then he just...he snapped."

I looked at the graves as though my parents were going to just pop up and provide me with the answers.

"I must be crazy..." I murmured to myself. "You're dead. No matter how much praying or begging can bring the two of you back. You'd know what to do."

I heard footsteps from behind me and froze. My hands ran to the side of my pants where there was a can of pepper spray that Bruce demanded I carry with me at all times. I turned to look to see my hospital doctor walking up the walkway, a boquet of flowers clenched in his right hand. He walked right past me and continued along the path until he stopped in front of a grave. I stepped away from my parents graves and followed him, stopping beside him.

"Doctor Colvin?"

He looked up to acknowledge my presence, but said nothing. He crouched down and set the flowers on top of two graves, one with the name "Elizabeth Colvin" and the other "Mark Colvin".

"My wife and son." He said, his voice hard. "Car accident."

"I'm sorry." I replied.

He straightened up and turned to look at me, his eyes looking down at the canister clenched in my fingers still.

"Pepper spray?"

"Oh." I remembered, sticking it back in my pocket. "Yeah. My brother makes me carry it with me now whenever I got out. He thinks the man that did this will come back for me."

"I suppose that makes sense. Where is your brother anyway?"

"He's...at home. He pissed me off, so I left." I answered nonchalantly.

"I see."

There was an awkward silence between us, in which I looked down at the graves and saw on Mark's tombstone the year of his birth was only a year before his death.

"Your son was only a year old, huh?"

"He just turned a year that day. My wife went out to get a birthday cake and took him with. A car blew through a red light and hit them head on."

"That's horrible."

"Well, I can imagine how hard it probably was for you and your brother."

"Well, yeah. It was pretty horrible, but Bruce took it the worst out of both of us. He's never really been the same."

I couldn't take my eyes off of the child's grave. I thought of my own son, and how horrible it must be for him not to even know who his own mother and father were. Not like I would ever want him to know who his father was.

"Why don't you come with me?" I said. "I want to show you something."

We walked out of the graveyard together, and he got into my car and I drove us to the local pizza place and ordered seven cheese pizzas.

"Are you and your brother going to eat all of those?" Colvin asked, astounded.

"Of course not."

Once we were back in the car, I took off for the orphanage. Upon my arrival, Suzane opened the front door and a parade of children came running down the stairs to meet me and Colvin.

"MISS JAMIE MISS JAMIE!" They screamed and jumped as I entered with all the boxes of pizza.

Suzane took the boxes from me and I picked up to children into either of my arms. In my left was Tyler, and in my right was a little girl named Mary.

"Miss Jamie who's this?" Mary asked, pointing at the doctor.

"IS HE YOUR BOYFRIEND?!" Daniel demanded from on the floor.

I laughed as the doctor got down on his hands and knees and got level with Daniel, who now had his arms folded across his chest.

"I'm not her boyfriend." He said in all seriousness.

"Good." Daniel replied. "Because Miss Jamie is going to be MY wife! Right Miss Jamie?"

I laughed more as we hearded the children into the kitchen and Suzane and some of the other helpers dished out pizza to each of the children. I set Mary down on the floor and still held Tyler tightly in my arms.

"Who is this little guy?" Colvin asked as Tyler buried his head in my shoulder.

"This is Tyler." I replied. "Tyler can you say hi to the doctor?"

Tyler turned his head slightly sideways before reburying it in my shoulder. I finally set him down on the floor and he ran off into the kitchen with the other children.

"You own this place?" Colvin asked me.

"I own it, I fund it. I gave all of these children a temporary home."

"That's...incredibly wonderful Miss Wayne."

"Jamie, please." I told him for the second or third time.

"Well then you call me David."

"Alright then David. After seeing how many homeless children there were in Gotham, I decided to fund a place where I knew they would all be safe and could live comfortably until they each found their new homes. I have children here from the age of newborns to twelve year olds."

"What brought on this?" He asked. "It just seems kind of sudden."

"I was attacked a few years back." I began, walking through some of the hallways and stopped as I watched the kids fighting over pizza in the kitchen. "By this man...I couldn't see his face, but he had this terribly frightning laugh. Anyway, I got pregnant and gave birth to a baby I wasn't mentally prepared to take care of. Bruce had run away, and I had about lost my mind. I didn't think I was going to be able to take care of a kid. So, I funded this orphanage."

"So you're telling me that one of these kids here is yours?" David wondered in a quiet voice.

I nodded and leaned against the wall, resuming to watch the chaos.

"Well...which one?"

I half-smiled.

"Why don't you guess?"

David entered the mess of the kitchen and began to look among the children who were stuffing their faces with pizza and then lunging across the tables to try and get the last slice of the pizza in each box. He stared down at each of the children he passed, his eyes examining each and every one of them. He finally crouched down between two children, Mary and Tyler, both of whom were sitting next to each other. Tyler had confessed to me during one of my visits that he thought Mary was a babe, and when I told him he should not call her that and just tell her he thought she was pretty, he did exactly that. But he didn't want the other boys to know that he thought Mary was pretty, so he picked on her during the day. But now from my position in the hallway, I could see that Tyler was trying to hold her hand under the table. David looked from one to the other, then stood up. He put his hand above Tyler's head and I smiled. David walked back into the hallway and leaned against the wall.

"How'd you know?" I questioned, looking back at Tyler.

"He looks just like you. He's got your eyes."

I smiled in return and looked back at Tyler, realizing that he did look a lot like me, and how much I really loved him. I had always wanted to take him back, but now with Crane after me, I wouldn't dare put my son at any risk.

"It's safer for him not to know." I said quietly. "I don't want this crazed person coming after him."

"I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

I nodded as Suzane came back out of the kitchen. I handed her the cash I had recollected for the emergency jar, and promised that I would be back in the morning with groceries. After that I drove David back to the graveyard where his car was still parked. He turned to look at me before he got out.

"Well...thank you for showing me that. I'll make sure to stop by and visit those kids more often. It's been a long time since I've held one."

I nodded once more and he climbed out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. I sat there for a moment, mulling over an idea in my mind. Before I could act upon it, David was back, leaning in my window.

"Would you want to go to dinner tomorrow night?"

"No." I replied without thinking. "Err...tomorrow's my brother's birthday party. But you're welcome to come if you'd like."

"That sounds great. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Wear something nice."

I drove off the minute his face disappeared from the window, my chest heavy. What had I done? Why had I agreed to something so stupid? I shouldn't be trying to get myself into a relationship. What the hell was wrong with me?

**A/N: That's it for now. We'll see how the rest of this goes ;) If all goes well, there will be a Dark Knight sequel.**

**-Jackie-**


End file.
